Researchers present a practical and economic protocol for detoxifying patients with medication overuse headache.
LONDON—A simple, straightforward protocol for management of medication-overuse headache (MOH) has established its clinical utility in the large joint European/Latin American COMOESTAS study. “These findings confirm the efficacy, the usability worldwide, and the low economic cost of detoxifying patients with medication-overuse headache,” Cristina Tassorelli, MD, PhD, said in presenting the COMOESTAS data at the Third European Headache and Migraine Trust International Congress.
The protocol used in COMOESTAS (Continuous Monitoring of Medication-Overuse Headache in Europe and Latin America: Development and Standardization of an Alert and Decision Support System) consists of abrupt detoxification, patient education, early initiation of individualized prophylactic therapy, and regular scheduled follow-up by one dedicated physician guided by electronic support. Patients maintain an electronic medical diary, which automatically signals their physician if they are in danger of relapsing, explained Dr. Tassorelli, a neurologist at the University of Pavia in Italy.
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